Stairs to Attic Space?

ninjaBob

I was just wondering what is involved in putting a staircase from the 1st floor to the attic space.

By this I mean what work would be required by the engineers, what are the implications for building regulations etc.


Essentially what I am looking at is having a 6" beam to span two walls to support where the stairs land.

Then lay 2" plywood ontop of the existing plywood to absorb any vibrations.

Cut the relevant beams to give sufficient headroom and reinforce where these cuts are made to ensure is no risk of cracking.

Is there anything else that needs to be considered to prevent cracks in the ceiling plaster or any structural damage.

Cheers

muffler

You should ensure that the joists are adequate in size otherwise you will end up with a lot of cracking in the ceilings below.

If the room(s) are to be habitable then make sure you comply fully with all fire regs.

Poor Uncle Tom

If the attic space will be used for habitable purposes you will need planning permission. You will also need to look at fire proofing the self contained corridor/reception area and possibly using self closing fire doors on each level.

ninjaBob

Thanks for the info.

The proposed stairs are all within the main hall (where the front door is).

The initial intention is for myself to use the office as a computer / server room. So I would assume that this is not exactly considered hanitable. Down the line perhaps we might consider putting up a stud wall and create a room up there (this is where I believe planning permission would come into play.

You don't happen to have a direct link to the fire regulations that apply to new homes?

Cheers

Poor Uncle Tom

Part B
http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/BuildingStandards/FileDownLoad,1640,en.pdf